TOWSON – Before the College of Cardinals elected U.S.-born Cardinal Robert Prevost as the next supreme pontiff May 8, students across Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore were holding their own mock conclaves – complete with rituals, research and reverence.
At Immaculate Conception School in Towson, middle schoolers immersed themselves in the sacred traditions of the papal election. Students studied the biographies of real-life cardinal electors and the elaborate process involved in selecting a pope.
In a makeshift “Sistine Chapel,” created by moving desks to the sides of a classroom, students took their roles seriously. A cardboard receptacle was created to receive slips of papers with the votes, and a reproduction of Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment” watched over the proceedings. Just like the real College of Cardinals, IC’s young “cardinals” swore oaths of secrecy before submitting their ballots May 7.
“I wanted them to act like cardinals and do the work,” said Jennie Scott, the school’s religious director, who orchestrated the project.
“I encouraged them to talk to one another about their picks,” Scott said. “It was amazing how different the first and second votes were. They went back to talking and altering their votes.”
On May 9, the school hosted a special presentation on the conclave, where Father Ernest Cibelli, pastor of the parish, reminded students that the secrecy of their votes mirrored the sacred duty of the real cardinals.
“They swear an oath to God that they are going to take this responsibility seriously and also that they are going to maintain secrecy about it,” Father Cibelli told students. “Not because there is anything controversial about what they are doing, but because it is such a sacred thing, that they don’t want to treat it like … regular politics. This helps the cardinals remember that what they’re doing is not just for worldly importance or whatever, but they are doing something in the eyes of God that has an effect for all eternity.”
Drawing from his own experience as a seminarian in Rome, Father Cibelli shared memories of witnessing the events following St. Pope John Paul II’s death in 2005, and the election of Pope Benedict XVI. The pastor showed photos of himself and his parents in St. Peter’s Square on the day of the announcement of Benedict’s election. To laughter, he added, “I had hair then.”
He emphasized that while students can’t yet vote in civic elections, their prayers can still shape the outcome of the papal election. “You guys can help elect a pope,” he said. “We might not vote, under 18 you can’t even vote in U.S. elections, but you guys can help with the election of this pope by praying for the cardinals.”
The experience proved enlightening for many students.
“I learned a lot,” said Will Knoerlein, a sixth grader. “I knew some of it but I learned way more about it.”
At nearby Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Baynesville, students also studied the conclave. According to Principal Sue Surine, principal of Immaculate Heart of Mary, each of her school’s 20 homerooms randomly drew five to seven cardinal names from a hat containing the 133 eligible electors. Students then researched their assigned cardinals, voted for a representative, and posted the selected name outside their classrooms. Teachers compiled the choices using a fantasy conclave website.
“I was pleased how the teachers enacted it,” Surine said. “Middle school students did little write ups and had questions about past issues cardinals spoke out on. Teachers said there were great discussions.”
For some Immaculate Conception students, the conclave even held personal meaning. Sixth-grader Noelle Shomali had traveled to Rome in December to witness her second cousin, Archbishop Fernando Natalio Chomali Garib of Santiago de Chile, elevated to the rank of cardinal by the late Pope Francis.
“My family from the U.S., Palestine and a lot from Chile went,” Shomali said. “It was a lot like a family reunion. He’s like an uncle to me.”
Despite her close family connection, Shomali chose not to vote for her relative. Similarly, Knoerlein decided against supporting his great-uncle, Baltimore-born Cardinal James Francis Stafford. (He thought he was “too old.”)
And in the end, whom did Immaculate Conception School’s student cardinals choose as pope?
Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
Email Katie V. Jones at kjones@CatholicReview.org
Editor’s note: This story was updated May 11, 2025 at 1:50 p.m. to clarify information and note that Sue Surine is principal of Immaculate Heart of Mary School.
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